Few events demand the combination of leadership, logistics, diplomacy, and business strategy required to host an Olympic Games. Between coordinating governments, international sports federations, corporate sponsors, athletes, broadcasters, and local communities, the responsibility extends well beyond the competition itself.
That challenge now belongs to Casey Wasserman.
As Chairperson of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28), Wasserman is overseeing preparations for one of the largest sporting events ever staged in the United States. While the Games themselves will unfold over just a few weeks, the work behind them spans years of planning, countless partnerships, and an organizational effort involving thousands of people.
For Wasserman, it’s the latest chapter in a career that has consistently centered on bringing together sports, entertainment, and business.
From Los Angeles to the Global Sports Stage
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wasserman graduated from UCLA before entering professional sports ownership at an early age. In his twenties, he became owner of the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League, later serving as chairman of the league.
Although arena football occupied a smaller place in the sports landscape than major professional leagues, the experience gave Wasserman an opportunity to learn nearly every aspect of operating a sports organization—from sponsorships and ticket sales to media relationships and league governance.
Those lessons helped shape the next stage of his career.
In 2002, he founded Wasserman, a company that grew into one of the world’s leading sports marketing, talent representation, and brand consulting firms. Over the years, the organization expanded internationally, representing athletes, broadcasters, coaches, and entertainment personalities while advising companies on sponsorship strategy, marketing, and fan engagement.
The business reflected a changing sports industry where success increasingly depended on connecting brands, media, technology, and athletes in new ways.
Looking Beyond the Competition
Throughout his career, Wasserman has often spoken about sports as something larger than wins and losses.
Major sporting events create opportunities for economic development, tourism, storytelling, and community engagement. They also require organizations capable of managing enormous operational complexity while remaining adaptable as technology and audience expectations evolve.
Those ideas are particularly relevant for LA28.
Unlike many previous Olympic host cities that built significant new infrastructure, Los Angeles is leaning heavily on facilities that already exist. Professional stadiums, world-class arenas, university campuses, and established entertainment venues will play central roles throughout the Games.
The strategy is intended to reduce construction costs while allowing organizers to focus resources on delivering the event itself.
Building an Organization Before Hosting an Event
Hosting the Olympics is often viewed through the lens of athletic competition, but long before athletes arrive, organizers face another challenge: building an organization capable of delivering the Games.
That means recruiting specialists across virtually every discipline imaginable.
Technology professionals, finance experts, event managers, marketing teams, communications specialists, logistics planners, legal advisors, venue operators, and human resources professionals all contribute to preparations that begin years before the Opening Ceremony.
For business leaders, LA28 serves as an example of how large organizations assemble talent around a shared mission rather than a single product.
Wasserman has frequently emphasized that success depends on the people carrying out the work behind the scenes. That perspective reflects a leadership style centered on collaboration rather than individual visibility—a necessity when coordinating organizations that span both the public and private sectors.
A Different Kind of Olympic Games
The Olympic movement continues to evolve, and LA28 is expected to reflect many of the trends shaping international sport today.
Digital engagement, streaming platforms, social media, artificial intelligence, and data-driven fan experiences are transforming how audiences consume sports. Organizers increasingly think beyond television audiences to global digital communities following events in real time across multiple platforms.
Commercial partnerships have evolved alongside those changes.
Sponsors now seek integrated relationships that combine live experiences with digital storytelling, athlete engagement, and year-round marketing opportunities. Wasserman’s background in sports marketing places him at the intersection of those developments, having spent much of his career helping brands and sports organizations navigate an increasingly connected media landscape.
That experience is expected to influence how LA28 approaches fan engagement before, during, and after the Games.
Keeping an Eye on the Long-Term Legacy
Every Olympic host city hopes to leave behind more than memories.
Infrastructure, community programs, youth sports participation, volunteer development, and economic activity all contribute to what organizers call an Olympic legacy. Increasingly, success is measured not only by what happens during competition but also by the lasting benefits created for the host region.
Los Angeles enters that conversation from a unique position.
With an established sports ecosystem and an extensive network of existing venues, the city has the opportunity to focus less on permanent construction and more on maximizing resources already in place.
That approach aligns with broader conversations across international sport about sustainability and responsible event planning.
The Countdown Continues
Although the Opening Ceremony remains on the horizon, preparations for LA28 continue at a rapid pace.
Every sponsorship agreement, venue plan, staffing decision, transportation strategy, and operational milestone represents another step toward welcoming athletes from around the world to Southern California.
For Wasserman, the assignment combines decades of experience across sports, entertainment, and business into a single global project.
Whether viewed through the lens of leadership, organizational strategy, or international sport, his career reflects how the modern sports industry has expanded far beyond the playing field. As Los Angeles counts down to 2028, Wasserman’s role remains focused on a goal shared by every Olympic host: delivering an event that meets the moment while leaving a lasting impression long after the final medal has been awarded.
